Using Word Wand

What Is Word Wand?

Word Wand is a camera-based reading companion designed to support tamariki as they develop literacy skills. Students point their device camera at any text — a book, a worksheet, a sign — and Word Wand provides instant support with phonics, syllable breakdown, and vocabulary definitions.

How It Works

1. The student opens Word Wand on their device.
2. They point the camera at a word or passage of text.
3. Word Wand recognises the text and offers interactive support options.
4. The student taps a word to hear it spoken, see it broken into syllables, or read a simple definition.

It works with printed text, handwritten text (where legible), and on-screen text captured via screenshot.

Key Features for Kaiako

• Phonics mode — Breaks words into phonemes with audio playback, supporting structured literacy approaches.
• Syllable mode — Displays syllable boundaries to help students decode longer words.
• Vocabulary mode — Provides age-appropriate definitions and example sentences.
• Word bank — Words that students interact with are saved to their personal word bank for later review.
• Teacher visibility — You can see which words each student has looked up, helping you identify reading challenges.

Setting Up Word Wand for Your Class

1. Navigate to Word Wand from your class dashboard.
2. Choose default settings for your year level (these control definition complexity and phonics detail).
3. Optionally assign specific reading texts from the LearnSpace library.
4. Students can also free-scan any text they encounter during the day.

Practical Tips

• Encourage tamariki to use Word Wand during independent reading time.
• Review the class word bank weekly to identify common vocabulary gaps.
• Pair Word Wand with guided reading sessions — students can pre-scan tricky words before the group meets.
• Use the word bank data to inform your next vocabulary teaching focus.

Privacy and Camera Use

Word Wand processes images on-device where possible. No photos are stored permanently. Camera permissions can be managed through device settings, and the app only accesses the camera when actively in use.